Scuti teams up with Atom Universe to bring brands to the metaverse

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Operating both a rewards-based gamers market and its first network game, Scuti has partnered with Atom Universe to offer all brands a “metaverse as a service”.

New York-based Scuti refers to its business with gamers as Commerce, and it allows them to earn rewards directly in the games that the store hosts. On Scuti’s Marketplace, players can purchase products directly from their games using the Scuti Marketplace, and they can earn rewards for every purchase. They can then use those rewards to get game items, Nicholas Longano, CEO of Scuti, said in an interview with GamesBeat.

The partnerships bring Scuti’s store together with Atom Universe’s metaverse technology, which allows brands to create an online presence within a month or so — called metaverse as a service. Scuti launches the store and the brands can lure gamers and other people into the metaverse.

How it works

Rock Out from 20 Below uses the Scuti gamers marketplace.

Scuti allows gamers to purchase products directly from video games, and shoppers are rewarded for every purchase. Players can now earn rewards for multiple games through Scuti$, a rewards system designed to work across all games and devices. Players redeem their brand-driven Scuti$ rewards for native game currency, in-game purchases, non-fungible tokens (NFT)-based items (powered by Epik), charitable donations, or physical products and services available through the Scuti Marketplace.

Longano said this means brands can play a leading role in metaverse adoption and audience engagement. And they can earn instant returns by selling directly to consumers through the Scuti Marketplace. And players can interact directly with their favorite brands in a virtual space.

Launched as the leading metaverse experience on PlayStation, Atom Universe is currently expanding to mobile devices – giving brands greater reach and engagement with the mobile gaming audience. Atom Universe offers experiences such as comic book fans visiting the Valiant concept store and purchasing limited edition comics.

It also allows painting enthusiasts to visit the Banksy Museum and take home paintings for the walls of their virtual home. Unlike traditional digital banner ads, video games and the metaverse allow players to interact with brands organically, through a memorable and immersive experience guaranteed to increase loyalty, satisfaction and conversion, Longano said.

Using the Unreal game engine, Atom Universe now offers brands this new turnkey service, providing brands with their own dedicated, white label metaverse, paired with Scuti powering gCommerce and loyalty programs through its rewards marketplace.

Jérôme Dewavrin, CEO of Atom Universe said in a statement: “Brands can finally offer their customers the best of both worlds.”

When players launch the Scuti Marketplace within their metaverse experience, Scuti delivers curated products and NFTs based on their store profiles and preferences, providing players with relevant and engaging product suggestions. Players earn and redeem Scuti$ across all games and metaverse experiences, which is the first truly interoperable digital wallet. Brands can now take credit and build greater affinity as they enhance players’ video game and metaverse experiences with every Scuti sale.

Scuti and Atom Universe will begin engaging leading brands at the Brand Innovators event at SXSW.

The Origin of Scuti

Scuti’s Marketplace gives rewards to gamers for purchases.

The founders of Scuti believe that monetization is broken in games because they say it annoys gamers. The popular monetization in games today will slow players down by forcing them to grind. It puts paywalls on them, makes them watch video ads they don’t care about, or trick them into buying goods that don’t really have much value.

“Players can buy other real goods, but they can also find that merchandise from certain fans,” he said. “It’s not just about the in-app purchases [of digital items] they can make in the game. But now they can sell real goods, whether it’s the merchandise for that particular artist, or someone else’s goods too.”

Rewards in games have been around for a while, but sometimes they’re just a gimmick, Longano said.

“Sometimes you can earn a few cents after playing for a long time,” he said. “We’re talking about more meaningful rewards.”

Longano said the company has signed up a number of game developer partners who will embed Scuti in their games. Companies like Below Games have tried it out in hopes of removing annoying ads in their games.

Scuti said companies should embed a button and then it will do the rest. It manages the store, sourcing, supply chain management, fulfillment, data, analytics, upselling, merchandising, promotions, and more. Players can press the Scuti button and spend what they earn in the game on real merchandise, such as a pair of shoes. Scuti shows them the things people say they like. And the rewards can be significant, Longano said.

Scuti makes a button in a corner of the game lobby or in the main menu, and it’s passive so it doesn’t consume resources during gameplay. Players must log in to access the shop and rewards, which is called ‘Scutis’. The gamer can do this while shopping and staying in the lobby or main menu of the game. The ads in the store comply with the Internet Advertising Bureau.

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This post Scuti teams up with Atom Universe to bring brands to the metaverse

was original published at “https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/11/scuti-partners-with-atom-universe-to-take-brands-into-the-metaverse/”